The Bet
by Tugboats
Summary: Sarah is reluctant to start Angelic Layer, claiming it's for losers who can't make their own friends. She makes a bet with her Angelic Layer addicted friend. If Sarah plays Angelic Layer and makes friends, she has to stick with it. If not....
1. The Bet

Note: Inspired by my friend Uber Flare's story Unstable Swan. Unlike her situation, in which she was dared by her friends to write a non-Mary Sue OC story, my situation is that I am trying to write a non-cliché OC story. I really hope that it isn't boring, either. And just so you all know, this takes place in America, which explains the lack of Japanese stuff.

"Come on, Sarah!" Meg cried. Sarah reluctantly followed Meg.

"Where are we going?"

"Piffle Princess!" Meg shouted eagerly. "I need to get a new accessory for my angel!"

"Meg, don't tell me you're an Angelic Layer addict!" Sarah whined. "Those people are so annoying. They're always gushing about how 'your angel is your friend' and how anyone can play. Well not me! I will defy the odds!"

"Sarah...you don't HAVE to play, but it'd be fun..." Meg said.

"Well, I'm still not going to that pink frilly toy store!"

"Oh, Sarah, please come! It would be so cool being Angelic Layer friends! And you can meet tons of cool people through Angelic Layer."

"I don't need a mechanical doll to make friends," Sarah harrumphed.

"Then...let's make a bet!" Meg said, her bright green eyes twinkling. "Create an angel and play for the rest of the year. If you make friends, you have to keep playing. If you don't make friends, then, um..."

"Then you have to quit Angelic Layer. For good," Sarah said, pulling her medium-long black hair into a messy bun.

"Fine!" Meg insisted, fluffing up her blonde flip hairdo. "Now come on!"

As they stood in Piffle Princess, Sarah realized how different she and Meg looked. Meg was still dressed in her school uniform; a white polo, a black sweater, a knee-length blue skirt, and flats. Sarah, on the other hand, had changed into overalls, a red t-shirt, and sneakers.

"Sarah, do you wanna see my angel?" Meg asked, pulling an angel out of her purse. The angel was pale, with black curly hair and a red satin thin-strapped dress. Multicolored ruffles decorated the hem and neckline.

"Her name is Adrienne," Meg explained. "She's a lightweight model, designed for speed!" Meg plucked a gold angel-sized circlet off the rack and held it against Adrienne, squinting.

"Look, the circlet fits, let's go," Sarah said. Meg bought the circlet and whirled around.

"Hey! You still need to buy an angel!" Meg snapped, pulling Sarah to the back of the shop. She then proceeded to tell Sarah exactly what to buy. Sarah felt stupid buying all the junk that she'd only use once. Seriously. When would she use a special-edition Angelic Layer laptop that only had Angelic Layer software on it?

"Oh, are you creating an angel?" the perky woman at the counter asked.

"Yeah..." Sarah mumbled.

"Now, when creating your angel, remember to think of a creative name that no other angel has. And also pay attention to the instructions, and we sure to read all about your angel's parts. You can create an incredible move that way."

"Um, thanks?" Sarah said. Her reply had come out sounding like a question.

"Now, you have fun with your angel!"

Once Sarah exited the shop, she turned to Meg.

"Are all of the Angelic Layer players perky little robots?" she asked. "That lady was so sugary sweet!"

"Oh, Sarah, she only wanted to help..." Meg mumbled. "Whatever. Just go home and create your angel."

-:-

After showering, eating dinner, and doing her homework, Sarah plopped onto the top bunk of her bed and opened up her instructions.

"Why the heck is there shock-absorbent goop in my egg?" she asked, climbing down to dump the crud into her sink.

"Ew, my angel's all busty and skinny. She looks just like Barbie!" Sarah complained to no one in particular.

"Okay, so apparently an adult is supposed to help me style my angel's hair? Eh, who needs adults?" Sarah grabbed the first hair color she saw (black with silver streaks) and put it on Mecha Barbie's head. After she placed it on, she pulled it into a pompadour.

"How's this for unique?" she giggled to herself. "Anyhoo...hook this tube up to the laptop and register my angel."

Sarah took quite a while to hook it up, being technologically challenged, but she finally managed to and placed her angel inside the tube.

"Now select your parameters," she read. She started panicking. She had no clue what to do with her angel. She hadn't thought about it...ever.

"_She's a lightweight model, designed for speed!"_ Meg had said.

_That's it! I'll crush Meg's angel! _Sarah quickly set all of the parameters on brute force.

"Now select a name..."

"_Now, when creating your angel, remember to think of a creative name that no other angel has." _The receptionist had instructed her.

_Now, _Sarah thought, _how can I screw that up? I've got it! _Sarah pulled the laptop closer to her and typed,

"Aries X." (1) Sarah said. She smirked. "How's that for a unique name, lady?"

-:-

Sarah woke up and smirked at her desk, where Aries X was perched. Aries X had silver eyes to match the streaks in her hair. It was too perfect. Meg would freak out at Aries X's strange name and hair, and she'd be sorry she ever made Sarah play Angelic Layer.

Sarah was feeling so happy that she put on a clean skirt, an unwrinkled polo, and a wool sweater that she'd sewn a long time ago but never wore. She pulled her hair back into a clean braid and carefully put her ballet flats on over her un-ripped tights.

"Hello," Sarah said, prancing downstairs with Aries X in her lap. She started gobbling down toast and orange juice.

"Honey, what's in your lap?" her mother asked.

"It's an angel," Sarah said, swallowing her toast. "Meg said I should make one, and she more or less made me."

"She's very pretty, honey. What's Meg's angel's name? Does her mother know she's playing Angelic Layer?"

"Listen, Mom, I'd love to discuss Meg with you, but it's time to walk to school with Jake." Sarah placed Aries X in her book bag and walked out the door. She didn't particularly LIKE walking to school with "a dumb old boy" (2), but anything was better than chatting with her mom when she was in a nosy mood.

"Why are you dressed so nicely?" Jake asked. "Is there someone you're trying to impress?"

Sarah ignored him. That usually worked with Jake.

"Ooh, is it ME?" Jake asked, poking Sarah's sweater. "Or maybe you failed a test, and you're trying to butter up your teacher?"

"Shut up!" Sarah yelled, kicking Jake in the shins. "Geez, can't a girl look nice without there being some deep dark secret behind it?" Sarah marched ahead of Jake and walked into school.

_Where is she? _Sarah thought. _I hope she's here today..._

"Sarah!" Meg shouted happily, running over. "You look very pretty today. So, did you make an angel?"

"Yes," Sarah said. "She's right here." Sarah pulled Aries X out of her bag.

"Ooh, I like her hair! It's really pretty."

"She's a heavyweight model, built for power," Sarah said smugly. _Please ask her name, please ask her name..._

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Aries X. You see, that lady told me to pick a unique name, so I made it really unique."

"Um...I guess it's a cool name..." Meg mumbled. "Hey, on Saturday, how about we go to Piffle Princess and I can teach you how to move around and stuff!"

"Sure," Sarah said, already planning a catastrophe.

_After school, I'll learn how to move around and fight and stuff, and then I can kick Adrienne's butt! Ha-ha!_

_Oh, crud, _Sarah thought. _I think I'm actually going to _like _Angelic Layer..._

Note: If I offended you with my talk of clichés, I'm sorry. Anyhoo, here are the footnotes:

(1) I got this name from Seventh Sanctum's Mecha Namer. Ares Something-or-Other came up as one of the names, and I decided to change it to Aries, because, well, I thought it sounded cooler. And there were often letters (S, T, W, etc.) at the end of names, and I thought X sounded the most robotic.

(2) No offense to any boys out there. That's just the way Sarah thinks, and it was a gimmick that set her apart from all the heroines who are friendly to guys.


	2. The Training of Aries X

Note: Yay for troublemaking Sarah! And speaking of Sarah, here's the moral of the story:

"Don't be offended by anything Sarah says, because she's weird and just thinks like that."

-:-

"Yeah, give me some of that silver armor stuff," Sarah ordered the person working at Piffle Princess. The poor woman raced around, trying to find the silver armor. She handed it to Sarah and bowed her head quickly.

"Thank you for shopping at Piffle Princess!"

"Yeah, whatever," Sarah grunted. "So, like, where do I pay for this crap?"

-:-

Sarah got home and plopped Aries X down on her bed. She scooped up the silvery armor and tried to figure out what to make. Something shockingly weird. Something that would freak out Meg. Aha!

Sarah grabbed the silver and started making a tight little pair of stretch pants for Aries X. Once they were done, she slipped them onto Aries X's legs. Perfectly dreadful. Excellent.

Sarah wondered how she could massacre Aries X's top. Maybe she could make it asymmetrical. One shoulder had a three-quarter length fluttery sleeve, and the other side had no sleeve or strap. Before slipping it onto Aries X, she took her scissors and snipped it up so it looked all raggedy. Perfect.

She left Aries X barefoot and took some of the black gauzy material she'd found in the store and made a huge hanging tutu. She slipped it on over Aries X's tight pants and laughed.

"Meg is going to go into cardiac arrest when she sees my latest concoction," Sarah cackled.

-:-

"Yeah, gimme two hours," Sarah barked at the woman at Piffle Princess. "I need practice."

"Oh, did you know about the upcoming tournament for new deuses?"

"Ain't that something from tennis?"

"Yes, but these deuses are from Angelic Layer. You se..." Sarah sighed as the woman burst into a very enthusiastic lesson about the tournament.

"Can I have my room already?"

"Oh, sure! Here you go."

-:-

"Man, that lady was so bubbly!" Sarah complained to herself as she walked to her room. "Sheesh!"

Sarah spent about fifteen minutes hooking up Aries X, and then put on those dorky goggles.

"I look like those MMORPG addicts. I am game zombie!" she giggled to herself. "Okay, so I control her with my thoughts. Alright, Aries X. Let's see if you can handle this!"

_Shriek like a chimpanzee!_

Aries X immediately started grunting and squealing in Sarah's ear.

"Yag!" she yelled, falling over. Aries X took that as a cue to faint.

_Since she's on the ground..._ Sarah thought, _I might as well try this. Imitate game zombie!_

Aries X rose up from the ground and stuck her arms out and moaned.

"Wow," Sarah muttered to herself.

_Al segone turns!_

Aries X started doing the _al segone _(1) turns in the little arena. It actually suited her, since she was wearing a tutu and all.

"Eh, enough practicing for me," she said, stretching. "I think I'll go get a smoothie or something." Sarah put Aries X in her pocket and left the room.

"Hey! You!" the bubbly lady said, descending upon Sarah like a slinky on stairs. "Have you signed up for our newbie tournament?"

"No, why would I sign up for that gay tournament?" Sarah asked. The woman looked offended.

"Don't worry, you'll love it," she said happily. "Now, your name is Sarah Wood, right?" she asked eagerly. Sarah bristled.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"Okay, and your angel is...Aries?"

"Aries X," Sarah said, acting as though she was stupid for not knowing. "So, sign me up, I guess."

"The tournament is tomorrow. Good luck!" Bubble-Lady called to Sarah.

-:-

Tournament Day. Yahoo. 

Sarah decided to show those fans that she didn't care what they thought of her. She threw on a white t-shirt, black overalls, and ripped black tights. She threw her flat, laceless red sneakers on that were covered in Sharpie doodles. Perfectly dreadful. She turned her ceiling fan on maximum and stuck her head next to it for maximum sloppiness.

"Hey Mom," Sarah said casually as she grabbed a bagel.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked.

"Some Angelic Layer tournament thing," she mumbled.

"May I see your angel?" her mother asked impatiently.

Sarah handed Aries X over.

"Oh sweetie, her shirt is ripped!"

"Uh, Mom, I did that on purpose."

"Hon, go get her a new shirt. People will think you're a slob who doesn't care about her angel!"

"Which translates to, 'Mom is lazy for not making poor innocent Sarah dress her angel in decent clothes.' Whatever. Bye."

Sarah walked out and headed straight for Piffle Princess.

-:-

"Our first match is Sarah Wood versus Jade Alexander!"

Jade had a pixie cut, which was dyed jade green. She wore black jeans and a blue-and-black striped sweater.

"First let's ask our deuses a few questions. Jade, why did you dye your hair that color?"

"Oh gee, couldn't have been from her NAME," Sarah grumbled.

"Well, my name is Jade, and I felt like I was ready for a new look!" Jade said perkily.

"Now, we shall ask Sarah a question. Sarah, what is the inspiration behind your outfit this morning?"

Sarah should've figured they'd chat about her punkish outfit.

"I didn't feel the need to wear a wedding dress to sit in a chair and use my mind," she said icily.

"Ooh! You'd better watch out, Jade; she sounds tough!" the man with the microphone yelled. "Now, angels Aries X and Lexi must fight!"

Lexi was a slim angel with long black braids and a short red dress trimmed in white fuzz.

"A little early for Christmas, Lexi," Sarah muttered.

"Angelic battle...begin!"

Lexi immediately started doing back flips around the stage.

"Show-off," Sarah grunted. "I'll show you!"

_Get jiggy with it, Aries X!_

Aries X immediately started dancing in the middle of the arena. Everyone gaped.

"Is this a new technique???" the dumb announcer asked. "Aries X is ignoring Lexi's attempts to distract!"

Lexi finally stopped flipping and kicked Aries X in the face. The crowd gasped.

"Ooh! And Aries X is damaged!"

_Shut up, you moron,_ Sarah thought. Aries X immediately clapped her hands over her mouth and blushed scarlet. _Not you, you goof! Wait! Stop! Take your hands away—_

Lexi grabbed Aries X by the wrists and swung her in circles. She stopped, and Aries X flew over the edge.

"And Lexi wins!"

A crowd of wannabes jammed themselves around Jade.

"Hey, good game!" Jade called to Sarah, but Sarah ignored her.

_That jerk. I bet she's really a pro in some other country, like Japan. I bet she changed her name and hair and came here so she could fight newbies! Grrrrr, I bet that's it. I didn't suck. I think I did pretty well for my first time. Yeah, that's it!_

Sarah turned to a TV screen.

"And we come back to the New York (2) state championships! Our next match is angel Adrienne versus angel Carrie-Ann!"

"Hey, it's Meg!" Sarah shouted. Her opponent, Carrie-Ann, had long elegant curls and a sparkly little bikini. WITH FRINGE.

"Go Adrienne! Beat that show-off!" Carrie-Ann grabbed Adrienne from behind.

"Don't just stand there, Adrienne!" As if she could hear Sarah, Adrienne reached her hands back and grabbed Carrie-Ann's neck. She then jumped into the air and did a big chain of vortices, releasing Carrie-Ann at the last second. Carrie-Ann flew into the wall and started splintering a little.

"And Meg Morrison is moving on to the finals!" the announcer yelled.

_Holy crap, _Sarah thought. _I'm trying to beat _her.

Note: Aw, it's too bad Sarah isn't as good as she thought.

(1) I believe _al segone _is French for "in second." They're lyrical turns that I won't describe because it's hard to describe dancing.

(2) In case I forgot to mention it, they live in New York.


End file.
